1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of this invention are directed to keyboard arrangements for mobile communication devices, and particularly, to keyboard arrangements that integrate yet differentiate two different keypads such as text input keypad and a numeric phone keypad.
2. Background Information
Many types of keyboard arrangements are known. The most widely used English-language alphabetic key arrangement is the QWERTY arrangement. Other types of standard English-language alphabetic key arrangements include the QWERTZ arrangement, the AZERTY arrangement, and the DVORAC arrangement. Alphabetic key arrangements are often presented along with a numeric key arrangement. In a common arrangement, the numbers one through nine and zero are positioned above the alphabetic keys. In another known numeric key arrangement, numbers share keys with the alphabetic characters, such as the top row of the QWERTY keyboard. In a common arrangement, the numeric key arrangement is separate and spaced to the side of the alphabetic/numeric key arrangement. This numeric keypad, which may be found on personal computer keyboard arrangements, places the numbers “7” “8” “9” arranged in the top row, “4” “5” “6” arranged in the second row, “1” “2” “3” arranged in the third row, and “0” in a bottom row.
In a common numeric phone key arrangement, the numbers “1” “2” “3” are arranged in the top row, “4” “5” “6” are arranged in the second row, the numbers “7” “8” “9” are arranged in the third row, and the numeral “0” is arranged in the middle of a fourth row between “*” and “#” keys. Phone keypads also often include an alphabetic key arrangement overlaying or coinciding with the numeric keys with three or four letters included on the keys for the numbers “2” through “9”. Such alphanumeric phone keypads are used in many traditional handheld mobile communication devices, such as cellular handsets.
Mobile communication devices that include a combined text-entry keyboard and a telephony keyboard are also known. Examples of such mobile communication devices include mobile stations, cellular phones, wireless personal digital assistance (PDAs), two-way paging devices, and others. Combining a traditional style text-entry keyboard (e.g., a QWERTY-style keyboard) with a traditional style telephony keyboard on the same mobile communication device typically involves undesirable ergonomic and/or intuitive user interface compromises. One prior art mobile communication device implements a combined alphabetic and numeric keyboard by having the numeric characters share keys with alphabetic characters on the top row of the QWERTY keyboard. In another prior art device, the numeric characters share keys with alphabetical characters on the left side of the keyboard. Many other arrangements that integrate an alphabetic keyboard and a numeric keyboard for a mobile communication device have been proposed. To my knowledge, in all of these proposed arrangements, the text input and numeric keypads fully overlap.
Some mobile communication devices incorporate a reduced alphabetic keyboard, such as a QWERTY keyboard in which the number of alphabetic keys is reduced by including two alphabetic characters on most keys. Such devices include a disambiguation engine that analyzes the sequence of keystrokes to resolve the intended input. One such device superimposes a numeric phone keypad over the center of the alphabetic keypad with the “0” included on the spacebar.
There is room for improvement in keyboard arrangements for mobile communication devices that make them more intuitive and easier to use while limiting the overall size of the device.